A Pink Flurry
by summermocha
Summary: Taiora meets 5 cm per Second.
1. Part I

**A Pink Flurry**

 **Part I: Cherry Blossom**

After watching _Tri_., I decided to revisit some of my old fanfiction. It was, uh, not fun to look at how bad my previous writing was...and so I decided to just rewrite these stories to the best of my ability. I hope you enjoy.

 **5/8/18:** Made some edits because I realized I was inconsistent with Taichi's last name; I went with his original name, Yagami Taichi.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Digimon or 5 Centimeters per Second.

* * *

"My name is Takenouchi Sora, and I am originally from Kyoto."  
The new girl stood in front of the class, blushing a bit while looking down at the wooden floor of the classroom.  
She was a bit tall for a girl her age. She had a skinny body and very pretty orange hair that reached her collarbone. Her eyes were a bright shade of amber, framed with long eyelashes. Her thin lips formed a nervous smile on her face.

"Welcome, Takenouchi-san," the teacher said. "Please take an empty chair."  
Sora obediently nodded and looked for the closest empty seat.  
There was one seat right in front of her at the end of the row, right next to a boy.  
She nervously sat in the chair, trying not to make too much noise.

"Hi, I'm Yagami Taichi!" The boy said, grinning from ear to ear.  
Sora stared at him cautiously. He had giant, chestnut hair, that went in all sorts of directions. He had large brown eyes that made him look like a deer. He had tanned skin, implying he spent a lot of time outdoors.  
"Hi," Sora replied, smiling politely. ' _What a weird guy,_ ' she thought to herself. ' _He's so outgoing. No one is this nice to the new girl._ '

 **-x-x-x-**

"Oh, Takenouchi, you walk this route, too?"  
Sora quickly looked in the direction of where the voice came from.  
Right behind her was Yagami Taichi, her new classmate.  
"I do," she replied. "I live in an apartment complex not too far from school, actually."  
"Oh, sick!"  
He slightly ran to catch up to her. They continued to walk next to each other.

"So why did you move here?" Taichi asked.  
"My father has a job that makes him move a lot," Sora replied.  
"Hey, me too!"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, my dad is constantly getting transferred. I've been in Tokyo for four years now, which is probably the longest I've ever stayed anywhere."

Soft pink petals were littered across the path. It was springtime here. The cherry blossoms were starting to bloom, and so their pretty petals fall onto the ground.  
"It's super pretty here," Taichi added. "I'll miss it if I ever leave."  
"Yeah, it really is," Sora said, admiring all of the pink petals.

Up ahead was a train crossing. The lights started flashing, and an alarm started ringing, signalling that a train was approaching. Sora ran ahead to quickly cross.  
"Takenouchi!" Taichi yelled, as the gates fell and a train ran by. "Sora-chan!"  
He patiently stood, waiting for the train to cross and the gates to fly open.  
He saw Sora also standing, waiting for him.  
Taichi quickly ran across. "Why did you run?"  
"I thought it was going to take longer for the train to cross," Sora flatly said.  
Taichi chuckled.

The two continued to walk home together, as pink cherry blossom petals continued to keep falling.  
"Five centimetres," Sora murmured.  
"What?"  
"The rate that cherry blossoms fall," Sora replied.

They walked together silently, admiring the pink flurry.  
"Let's see the cherry blossoms again Yagami-kun," Sora said, smiling.  
"Okay!" Taichi agreed, also smiling.

 **-x-x-x-**

Taichi and Sora quickly became very close.  
The two would even address each other by first names, and not last names.  
Taichi and Sora both played soccer, and would often play against each other during recess.  
After school, they would walk home together and take turns going to each other's apartments, where they would do homework together.  
They even studied for the entrance exams together. They planned to attend the same middle school.  
The two became the best of friends.

Friends placed bets on when the two would start dating.  
Some even placed bets to see if they would get married.

Sora was a cheerful girl who had a big heart, and Taichi was a courageous hothead. They seemed to be a good pair, with Sora calming him down and Taichi taking care of Sora.  
They had formed a strong bond.

It seemed as though things would be this way forever.

 **-x-x-x-**

Taichi was watching television with his little sister Hikari as the phone rang.  
He ran to get it, and saw the caller ID said "Takenouchi Sora."

"What's up, Sora?" he asked as he picked up the telephone.  
"Taichi," she solemnly said.  
Such a sad tone rarely came from Sora, making Taichi worried. "Sora?"  
"I just got really bad news,"  
"What's wrong?"

There was a long pause before she answered.  
"My family is moving to Tochigi,"  
Caught by surprise, Taichi was silent for a moment. Thoughts ran through his head; does this mean that he and Sora can't attend middle school together anymore? Would he no longer have a friend to play soccer with? Who would walk home with him?  
Tochigi was a nearby prefecture, but it was still not Tokyo. Sora would be far away.

"I'm really sorry, Taichi," Sora said, her voice cracking.  
A long silence enveloped between them.  
Sora played with the telephones cord, as Taichi continued to stand there, confused. His little sister looked at him with worry, wondering why he was silent. Taichi was usually a chatterbox when Sora called.  
Sora's eyes eventually welled up with tears. She was confused as to why he was so silent. But then again, what did she expect him to say?

"I-I'm gonna go now," Sora said, wanting the unbearable silence to end.  
"It's okay," he finally replied.  
"Is it?"  
Taichi could hear Sora struggling to hold in her tears; her voice was choking.  
"W-we won't go to the same school anymore or anything. We'll be so far away from each other,"  
He stood there, silent, but absorbing her words.  
"We won't be playing soccer together anymore," her voice was starting to shake, as she started sobbing. "We won't get to go to school together anymore. Everything we planned out is going to waste,"

"Don't worry," Taichi said, trying to be optimistic. "We'll keep in touch. We can write letters to each other, or something. Maybe I can even visit you once in awhile!" He grinned enthusiastically as if she was there to witness it.  
"Okay," Sora said, smiling. Tears continued to drop down her cheeks. She smiled softly.

 **-x-x-x-**

The two had kept in touch by writing letters to each other, just as they originally intended.

 _Dear Sora,_  
 _Middle school sucks. I made the boy's soccer team, but they're all jerks. I miss playing soccer with you.  
_ _Actual school is hard, too. I do good on my math and science tests, but writing and reading is hard. I wish I still had someone to study with. You were always so good at writing.  
_ _\- Yagami, Taichi_

 _Dear Taichi,  
_ _I'm sorry to hear that you are not enjoying school. My middle school isn't nice, either. I actually have recently started playing tennis. I want to play tennis, but the girls on the tennis team are a little catty. I'm doing well in reading, writing, and science...but my math scores are not so good. I wish I could study with you, too.  
_ _Take care of yourself.  
_ _\- Takenouchi, Sora_

 _Dear Sora,  
I hope you like tennis! Soccer is still the best sport, though, haha. It sounds like you're doing well in school! I'm sure your math scores will continue to get better. Knowing you, you probably study very hard.  
\- Taichi_

 _Dear Taichi,  
Thank you for your kind words. I just got my math test back, and it turns out I got an 83%! I am slowly getting better.  
How are you doing?  
-Sora_

They would write to each other on a biweekly basis. But Taichi was taking an unusually long time to respond.  
Sora opened the mailbox one day, expecting it to be empty yet again. But there was an envelope inside. Sora opened it slowly.

 _Dear Sora,  
_ _My father is transferring jobs himself. We will be moving far away from Tokyo. We will be moving to Kagoshima; that's on the other side of Japan. I'll be even farther away from you. I just got into middle school and just made the boys soccer team. I'm very upset about this.  
We should meet up one more time before I move away._

 _-Tai Y._

She closed up the letter and ran back inside to call him. The two often did not call because phone bills were expensive, but she thought this was an emergency.

 **-x-x-x-**

Sora sat there, waiting, by the heater in Tochigi station.  
She had agreed to meet Taichi one last time before the two would be separated even further apart from each other. They had agreed to meet hours ago. But a sudden snowstorm halted their scheduled meeting. What was going to be a simple train ride from Tokyo to Tochigi was stalled by a severe blizzard. One by one, people left the station to go home. But Sora waited silently, waiting for Taichi to come.

Taichi sat in the busted leather seat of the train, looking outside into the barren, snowy landscape.  
His coat was very thick, but he still felt the cold penetrate. He sat there, waiting. Time felt like an eternity. He and Sora were separated by more than just distance at this point. It felt as though the whole world conspired to be against them. The train's operator repeatedly apologized for the long wait; they were stuck in the snow.  
He wondered how long she would wait for him, and while he wished to see her so badly, he really wanted her to go home and escape this intolerable weather.

Hours passed between the two before he finally arrived at Tochigi station.  
The train doors opened slowly and cautiously, reflecting how he felt inside.  
He still had the letter in his pocket.  
 _The letter that explained his feelings for her._ He was undeniably nervous to give it to her.  
He felt as though it was obvious that he had growing feelings for her, but he couldn't help but be nervous as to how she felt.

Most of the other passengers fled to find taxis, but he went straight to her.  
The harsh winter wind fiercely blew.  
As he was ready to take the letter from his pocket, the wind snatched the letter away.  
The letter danced amongst the winter wind, before trailing off too far away for Taichi to grab it.  
' _It's not a big deal,_ ' he shrugged. He was too busy thinking about Sora and hoping that she was still waiting.  
She sat still in her seat, snuggled by the heater. Her eyes were closed tightly.  
He gently put his hands on her shoulder; she was startled and awoke instantly.

"T-Taichi?" she asked, her voice sounding sleepy.  
"It's me," he grinned.  
She smiled softly, waking up. "I'm so glad to see you," she murmured.  
She looked into his chestnut eyes for a moment. She suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling to his body for warmth.  
He was so close to her. He could smell the vanilla perfume she sprayed.

It was as if the two were never separated.  
"Do you want to go?" Taichi asked.  
Sora merely nodded.  
They immediately began conversing again, just like they used to. They wouldn't shut up about a various amount of subjects: how soccer was going, what their favourite school subjects were, what high schools they were going to be attending.  
The two found themselves walking outside into a field covered with snow. It was literally a white sea.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" Sora exclaimed, running into the field.  
She gazed around her, looking at all of the barren trees.  
"Can you imagine how pretty it'd be if it was spring?" she asked.  
Taichi looked around them, too.  
He realized that she was referencing all of the cherry blossom trees. "We never got to see those cherry blossoms together again, did we?"  
"No," Sora glumly replied, remembering their childhood promise.  
"There's always next year, right?" Taichi replied joyously.  
"Yeah, there is," Sora grinned.

Taichi was baffled at how much snow was collected in this field. He dug his bare hands into the fluffy snow and made a compact ball within his palms. As if it were an instinct, he attempted to throw it at Sora, but she managed to dodge it.  
"Wow, Taichi, you have awful aim!" she chuckled, trying to make a snowball too.  
"I bet it's better than yours!" Taichi teased, making another snowball.  
The two began to throw snowballs at each other like children, giggling all the while.  
Their cheeks were beet red, but not just because of the cold.

Sora began to shiver after awhile, making Taichi realize how cold she was.  
"Hey, we should go find somewhere," he suggested.  
"I-I'm fine!"  
"No, you're not," he replied, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.  
She instinctively nudged her face against his chest. ' _Taichi is so warm. He's still so nice,_ ' she thought to herself.  
"I think I see a shed out there. Hopefully, no one is home."

The shed was dusty, but it was warm. And empty.  
He closed the shed door behind them and sat down against the wall. Sora sat down next to him.  
"Are you cold?" she asked.  
Taichi instead wrapped his arms around her again, keeping himself and her warm.  
"I've really missed you,"  
Taichi smiled at her. "Me too," he said. "I've had no one to play soccer with."  
"Whatever," she smirked. "You have lots of friends. None of the girls like me here,"  
"I mean, you are pretty scary," Taichi teased, causing Sora to elbow him a little too hard.  
"It's so sad to think you'll be even farther away from me,"  
"Don't worry, we'll still write to each other,"  
"Will we?"  
"Of course. I could never forget about you,"

The two were silent for a moment, as their eyes were locked into each other's gaze. Their lips naturally curved together and pressed up against each other.  
Their hearts were beating together, their minds also as one.  
' _I've really missed you,_ ' they both thought to themselves.

 **-x-x-x-**

He boarded the 11:00 AM train back to Tokyo.  
There were only a few other passengers aboard.

"I'll keep writing to you," Sora said, smiling at him.  
He smiled back in response. "I will too,"  
The two stood there for a moment, smiling at each other.

"Keep clear, the train doors are closing," the conductor said.

"You're going to be fine out there Taichi," Sora said, her cheeks flushing. "Take care of yourself out there, okay?"  
"You too, Sora."  
The doors slowly began closing, centimetre by centimetre.  
"You take of yourself too, Sora!" Taichi yelled, as the doors finally closed.  
He hopelessly rested his hand against the train door, wishing there was no wall between him and Sora. She put her hand on the other side of the glass as well.  
" _Bye,_ " they whispered together, at the same time.

He decided to sit down.  
He crossed his arms, trying to keep himself warm; the trains heater was most likely busted.  
His eyes were closed as she thought of how yesterday went.  
He was upset that he lost the letter he meant to give her.  
He figured it was not a loss that he lost that letter after that kiss between him and Sora.

Sora stood alone on the platform, as the train slowly drove away.  
She stood there, waiting for the train to leave her sight.  
The winter morning air was chilly, but the sun kept her if even a little warm. She glanced up at the clear winter sky.  
Her hands stayed rested in her coat pocket.  
She clutched the letter she had written to him.  
She wished more than ever at that moment that she could have given him it.


	2. Part II

**PART II: COSMONAUT**

It was now his third year of high school in Tanegashima.  
He had moved here from Kagoshima a few years back.  
It was nice and quiet, not like the bustling city of Tokyo.  
Taichi sometimes wished he lived in a more lively city. But he did live by the Tanegashima Space Center, which had its own sort of liveliness.

He was comfortable with how things were, for the most part.  
A rather popular student at his high school, he was the captain of the soccer team and a student that excelled in mathematics. He was charismatic, lively, and very funny. Many people wanted to be his friend; he had a warm energy to him.

He had a lot of admirers, but none had managed to win his heart over.  
It was as if he was waiting for someone else.

 **-x-x-x-**

"I heard Rei-chan confessed to Wakahisa-san," one of Meiko's friends whispered. She sipped from juice box before adding on. "I don't know what he said, though."  
"I hope he said yes," another friend chimed in. "They would be _so_ cute together,"  
Meiko smiled, hoping that would count as a contribution to the conversation.  
The two girls stopped and stared at her.  
"W-what?" Meiko asked, innocently.  
"Are you going to confess to Kamiya-san?" one of them asked.  
Meiko's face turned bright red.

The two began a friendship shortly after he moved to their middle school.  
In a quiet place like Tanegashima, Taichi certainly stood out. He was lively and said whatever was on his mind. He was courageous and bold, always shouting out answers.  
The only time he was silent was when the teacher asked for volunteers to read out loud to the class.  
Taichi happened to sit next to Meiko on his first day of school.  
Shy and quiet, Meiko didn't say anything, but this made Taichi want to be her friend even more.  
Eventually, he won her over with his kindness.

"You always blush whenever we talk about him," her friend said.  
"She blushes whenever she talks _to_ him, too," the other added.  
The two grinned at her, as Meiko continued to blush heavily.

She always waited for him after school.  
Meiko was an active member of the archery club at their school.  
Coincidentally, her practices were often at the same time as the boy's soccer practices. She used that as an excuse to wait for him so they could ride their bikes home together.  
She stood behind the school building, waiting for him to walk by.  
Thoughts raced through her mind. What should they talk about? Should she ask him how practice went? No – that's silly, she always asks him that.  
She heard footsteps approaching slowly through the grass. She tensed up, ready to "bump" into him.  
"T-Tai-kun," she muttered as the footsteps got closer.  
Only recently did they achieve a first name basis with each other.  
"Ah, Meiko," he smiled. "Getting ready to go home too?"  
"Y-yes," she replied.

"How was practice?" she asked him.  
"Same as always,"  
"A-archery was fine, as usual," she said.  
He said nothing, as they approached their bikes on the bike rack.  
He sat on his bike, preparing to start it up.  
She followed suit, upset he didn't add anything more to their conversation.  
"Want to go to that convenience store, like usual?" he asked.  
"Sure," she said, smiling.

The two drove their bikes together, side by side on the road.  
Meiko noticed that Taichi kept his eyes straight ahead. Obviously, as he was driving, that was appropriate. But she felt as though he was staring at something even farther ahead than the road. She often felt as though he was looking for something wonderful in the distance. It was as if he was a lonely dog waiting for his owner to come back home. She often wondered what he could possibly be thinking of.

 **-x-x-x-**

They always visited a small convenience store on the way home.  
Meiko always bought orange juice, but Taichi always tried to switch things up. Some days he'd buy canned coffee, and others he'd buy iced green tea. Every once in awhile, he would buy an energy drink.  
Taichi was very visibly tired from soccer practice.  
The bright lights of the convenience store helped Taichi stay awake a little bit. The cool air of the fridge also helped. He opened the fridge door and got a caffeinated energy drink.  
"Are you tired?" Meiko asked.  
"A little bit," Taichi admitted, checking the label to ensure the drink had caffeine. "I have a test to study for tonight, so that's not good."  
"Take care of yourself," Meiko replied.  
Taichi smiled.

The two paid for their drinks and then left the store.  
They rode their bikes to a nearby hill, where they sat down and talked for a bit.  
"Oh, your energy drink is pink," Meiko said, observing Taichi's drink.  
He glanced down at his drink, surprised. "Oh, you're right,"  
"What flavor is it?"  
"It says pink lemonade on the label, but it tastes like orange," Taichi chuckled. "That doesn't make any sense,"

His drink was a soft pastel pink.  
Pink, like a cherry blossom petal.  
' _We promised to write to each other,_ ' Taichi thought to himself.  
He was thinking of her again.  
It had been so long since he had received a letter from her. He wondered if _he_ was the one who had stopped sending letters. No – that couldn't be.  
' _We also promised to see the cherry blossoms with each other again._ '

He was deep in thought, causing his face to be very serious.  
Meiko watched silently, wondering what he could be thinking about.

He had that distant look to him again, making her chest tighten.  
Oh, how she wished he would just look at her.

 **-x-x-x-**

He had seen this dream many times already.  
The two of them, on an unknown, alien planet.  
A giant sun stood in front of them, rising.  
The plants around them budded into flowers and a beautiful pink flurry came as the sun rose.  
He stood there, right next to her.  
She was sitting down on the ground, admiring the rising sun.

She would suddenly get up as the pink flurry died down.  
She would stand up, tall and straight, and slowly look at him.  
It was hard to remember her facial features acutely nowadays.  
But he recognized those large amber eyes and orange hair immediately.

She would reach out her hand to him, and smile.  
He would smile back, and take her hand, without a thought.

A few nights ago, he went through his box of letters that he had received from her.  
The last one he received from her was over two years ago.  
' _Maybe she forgot,_ ' he thought to himself. ' _Maybe she replaced me already._ '  
Ever since he went through all of those letters, he had been having the same dream, over and over again.

He couldn't help but feel a tight pain in his chest.  
Missing someone hurt.  
His memory of her was starting to become blurry, which frightened him.  
Oh, how he longed to see her again.  
He missed her too much.  
He wondered if somehow, she missed him too.

 **-x-x-x-**

The next day, Meiko waited for Taichi after practice, just as always.  
"Tai-kun," she cheerfully greeted him.  
"Meiko," he said, as though he was caught off guard. He had a very tired expression on his face and deep bags under his eyes.  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
"Yeah," Taichi replied, his voice a little low. "I'm a little tired today. I'm not sure I want to go to the store...I'm sorry."

Meiko's face fell.  
Taichi continued to look at the ground, his face stuck in that distant gaze he sometimes has.  
"Are you mad at me?"  
"W-what? Meiko, _no_ ," Taichi said, looking up quickly. He smiled at her. "I could never be mad at you. I'm just tired is all,"  
"You promise?"  
"I promise," he chuckled.

That familiar chuckle warmed her heart.  
"Hey, I'll still walk you home. I gotta make sure you get home safely,"  
"Thank you," Meiko said, smiling appreciatively.

They approached the front door to Meiko's home. It was nothing special, just a traditional Japanese home. He could hear mewing from inside.  
"Ah, is that Mei-chan?" he asked.  
"I'm so happy you remember her name,"  
"I couldn't forget such a cute cat!" Taichi said, chuckling. "What is she again?"  
"A Maine Coon,"  
" _Right_ ," Taichi said, not even knowing what that meant. Were they those hairless cats? No – that's a Siamese. Wait, maybe it was called a Sphynx?  
"Thank you for walking me home," Meiko said, blushing a bit.  
"It was no problem at all," Taichi said, still smiling. "I should probably get going, though. It's late and I'm still tired, ha,"  
"Yeah,"

 _'Maybe today would be the day.  
Yes...  
Tonight, I will confess to him.'_

"Taichi?" Meiko asked suddenly.  
"Ah?"  
"D-do you like anyone?"  
"Do I...like anyone...?" he was surprised by her sudden question. "Hm," he pretended to ponder. Immediately, his thoughts went to _her._ He pictured her round face with her big amber eyes, and her short orange hair.  
Meiko waited for his response. It felt like an eternity, just standing there in silence, staring at his thinking face.  
In the far distance, she could hear a space rocket get ready for takeoff.  
She could see a small cloud of dust forming as the rocket slowly left the ground of Earth.  
Taichi remained oblivious to this.

"I don't like anyone," Taichi lied.  
"N-no one?" Meiko asked shyly.  
"Nah," he replied, his eyes slowly darting away. He looked away, seeing the rocket from the corner of his eye. " _Ah,_ Meiko," he quickly took her hand and pointed it in the direction of the rocket. It was starting to fly towards the sky at a much quicker rate. "Look!"  
Meiko stared at their joined hands. She was supposed to be looking at the rocket entering space, but she couldn't help but look at their physical connection.

 _'I guess tonight won't be the night._ '

 **-x-x-x-**

Meiko rolled around in her bed.  
The silence of the night haunted her.  
Shortly after the rocket launched, Taichi left. He made no other comment on her question asking if he had liked anyone.  
It seemed as though he thought of it as a joke.  
But really, it was a serious matter to Meiko.

She continued to roll around, thinking about the rocket.  
It must be a lonely journey to go high into space, all by yourself. The rocket isn't even completely sure if it will reach its destination.  
But yet, it continues to soar, hoping it will.

Perhaps she was like that rocket, and her destination was Taichi.  
Perhaps it would be best if she continued to keep soaring by herself, silently hoping that she would someday be with him.  
Maybe.

 **-x-x-x-**

" _I could never forget about you,_ "

She sat on the train car, looking at her phone. She had given Taichi her new cell phone number long ago. She waited for a message from him, but it never came.  
Sighing, she leaned her head back.

Sometimes, she felt as though they were too far apart, emotionally and physically, to be together anymore.  
While they had grown up together, they didn't continue to grow with each other.  
It wasn't anyone's fault. It's not fair, but that's just the way it was.

She often wondered what would have happened if they both had stayed in Tokyo. Would they have attended the same middle and high schools? Would they have continued to play soccer together?  
Would they have actually started dating each other?  
It seemed futile to be having these sorts of thoughts.  
There was nothing either of them could do about it.


	3. Part III

**PART III: 5 Centimeters Per Second**

The final part! I hope you enjoy.

* * *

"My name is Takenouchi Sora and I'm from Kyoto,"  
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Sora-chan,"  
She smiled politely in response.  
"Yamato has only said the nicest things about you," he said, chuckling. When he laughed, the wrinkles in his face deeply protruded. He looked very old, but yet, very friendly and kind. It made her feel at home – even though she was meeting her future father-in-law.

Yamato and Sora had dated for six years before he finally asked to marry her.  
He proposed to her on her birthday a year ago. He had asked her out to a very nice dinner and proposed at the table. He had given her a ring with a small ruby cut into a heart. It fit snugly onto her slim ring finger.  
They had since been planning the wedding together, which was coming up this summer.

This was the first time she had ever met his father. She still had to meet his mother and his younger brother; Yamato's parents were separated, with Yamato's father raising Yamato and his mother raising his younger brother, Takeru. She had only heard good things about Takeru from Yamato. He apparently was already married. His wife is a sweet girl from Tokyo named Hikari. Sora wasn't sure why, but that name seemed very familiar.

 **-x-x-x-**

Taichi got off of the train quickly, practically jumping onto the platform.  
He walked faster than he normally would, as he was in a hurry.  
He was rushing to go home and see Mimi.

After graduating high school, he attended a college back in Tokyo where he met Mimi.  
Taichi was studying international affairs in hopes of becoming a diplomat, and Mimi was studying journalism. The two had met in an electives class – Intro to Creative Writing. Taichi managed to graduate from that college, but Mimi soon dropped out so she could attend a nearby cooking school instead. Taichi's father was critical of that decision, but his mother was supportive. His little sister, Hikari, didn't think it was a problem either. She thought Mimi could have a cooking show on TV; she was charismatic and very pretty. People would love her.  
Taichi had actually managed to stay in touch with Meiko during all of this time. She didn't think it was a problem that Mimi had dropped out of university; her only worry was whether Taichi was happy with her. He assured her that he was.

Taichi ran to the apartment he shared with Mimi.  
He was so impatient that he couldn't wait for the elevator, settling for the stairs instead. When he finally reached the floor that he and Mimi lived on, he ran to their front door, struggling to open it with his keys. Mimi eventually had to open the door for him.  
"Welcome home," she said.  
"Oh, Mimi," Taichi said, sweating.  
"Why are you sweating?" Mimi said, giggling.  
Taichi walked into their home, closing the apartment door behind them. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, tightly embracing her. "Happy birthday," he said, snuggling his face into her neck.  
Mimi hugged him back, wondering why he was being so affectionate. "Thank you," she said.  
"I wish I got you an actual present this year, but honestly-"  
"-you forgot," Mimi said, interrupting him.  
Taichi's face fell. "Y-yes," he admitted.  
"Oh, Taichi," she backed up from him, removing herself from their embrace. "I feel like you don't take me that seriously,"  
"Why would you say that?"  
Mimi gave him a stern look.  
" _Oh_ ," Taichi said, realizing that she was referring to the incident just now.

Mimi sighed heavily.  
"Taichi,"  
"Yes?"  
"We're not getting any younger,"  
"Yes,"  
She looked intently into his eyes. Her face was so serious. "Are we going to get married?"  
He was taken aback by her sudden and serious question. They had only been together for a couple of years. Why the rush? "Mimi, why are you-"  
"Taichi, if you don't want to get married, then obviously I'm wasting my time here!" her voice started to crack, as tears started running down her cheeks. Both her eyes and face started turning very red. "I-I want to have kids, I want to have a ring on my finger, I want to tell my parents I'm getting married! I want that dream!"  
At this point, she was sobbing. Her body was shaking, as she fell down on the floor.  
Taichi rushed to comfort her, but she swatted him away.

"I think you should go,"

 **-x-x-x-**

She stared at the empty sky above her. She stared into the vast emptiness that was full of darkness. She rested her elbows on the railing of her balcony. Her chin laid on the palms of her hands. She stared at the giant full moon hanging above her, which softly illuminated the night.

 _'I wonder if he's looking at this moon, too. It's so beautiful tonight.'  
_ Lately, she had been thinking of him quite often. She wondered if it was considered being unfaithful to Yamato.  
She stared at the engagement ring that snugly fit on her finger. The ruby glimmered beautifully in the moonlight.  
A few weeks ago, while going through her old belongings, she found an old letter. It was addressed to a Yagami Taichi.  
It was that letter that she never gave to him, all those years ago.  
The one where she confessed her romantic feelings for him.

Ever since then, she had recurring dreams about him. She couldn't stop thinking about that boy.  
Guilt plagued her mind; she could never recall exactly how the two stopped communicating.  
She hadn't heard directly from him in years, but she heard through some mutual friends he too had relocated to Tokyo. She had heard that he had settled down with a girl he met at school. Thinking of that girl, even though she had never met her, made her chest tighten. It wasn't exactly jealousy, but she did have rather negative thoughts toward that woman – which she found rather strange, as she herself was to be married soon. It was rather hypocritical of her to have sour thoughts about that boy moving on, even though she did herself. She did occasionally have "what if?" thoughts, wondering what would've happened between her and him if neither had moved.

But she was content with the way things turned out, as she was sure this was the way things were meant to be.  
She was going to start her own fashion line soon.  
She had a successful, gorgeous, husband-to-be who treated her like a queen.  
Recently, she and Yamato adopted an adorable pink parakeet and an adorable dog. Their home was going to be so lively soon.  
Things couldn't have looked better for her.

 **-x-x-x-**

He retreated to a friend's house that night.  
It was a good friend from college. His name was Izumi Koushiro. A very intelligent man, he was very skilled with computers and coding. He recently became a data scientist at his company; although he had explained to Taichi a million times what that had meant, he still didn't quite understand.  
When he explained his situation with Mimi, his friend merely chuckled.  
"That sounds like Mimi,"  
"I know," Taichi said, rolling his eyes.  
"Why are you rolling your eyes like that? Don't you like her?"  
"I guess," Taichi replied, his face looking solemn. "Honestly, after that interaction, it made me think that I don't want to marry her after all."  
"Why is that?"  
Taichi merely shrugged his shoulders.  
"Mimi is a sweet girl. She's beautiful, funny, and very talented at cooking. You've got yourself a real star,"  
"I know," Taichi said, sighing.  
Koushiro raised an eyebrow at him.  
"What?"  
"Are you going to say anything else?"  
Taichi bit his lip, wondering what else to say. "I don't know, I guess she's sweet. I think she wants too much; we're almost 30! Why does she want to get married so soon?"  
Koushiro rolled his eyes this time. "Do you hear yourself? You don't want to marry the girl you've been living with for almost five years?"  
"...No," Taichi replied, honestly.

Koushiro's face was full of disgust at this point.  
Taichi looked naively at his friend, wondering why Koushiro was so upset with him.  
"Do you and Meiko still talk?"  
"Yup,"  
"What does she think?"  
"She thinks I'm not actually happy with her,"  
"She's not wrong, is she?"  
"No,"

Koushiro leaned back on his sofa. "Is it still Sora?"  
Taichi had told Koushiro all about his long-distance love with Sora from long ago. He had told him everything, from meeting each other the first day she had transferred to his elementary school, to that night in the shed. He had told Koushiro about all of their letters they had exchanged back and forth. Taichi thought about it for a moment and merely nodded.  
"I heard from one of your old classmates that Sora is getting married to some musician," Koushiro said, observing Taichi's facial expression.  
Taichi merely smiled softly. On the inside, his heart was slowly breaking after hearing that she was to marry someone else. He wondered what kind of man he must be; he must be a good person if Sora liked him.  
"You two liked each other so much but neither of you made an effort to keep the relationship going,"  
Taichi merely stared.

"That seems so bizarre to me. You kept in contact with Meiko, a girl you claim to not have romantic feelings for, but stopped communicating with Sora, your childhood love. Also, you're living with a girl that you clearly don't want to marry, even though she wants to marry you. Do you have your priorities in order?"  
"Definitely not," Taichi replied, laughing.  
Koushiro couldn't help but break out into laughter, as well.  
"If you like Mimi so much, maybe you should date her!" Taichi suggested, still laughing.  
"Maybe I will,"

 **-x-x-x-**

She woke up, lying next to her fiance.  
Still a little tired, she snuggled next to his body.  
"Good morning love," he sleepily whispered. He rubbed his tired, indigo eyes.  
"Good morning," Sora replied, smiling.  
He leaned in to kiss her, before getting up to get ready for the day.

She continued to lay in their bed, thinking about that dream she recently had.  
There was a giant white field in front of her, covered in winter snow, walking hand in hand with a young boy with rustled chestnut hair.  
She was shivering, so he wrapped himself around her to keep her warm.  
After he leaned in to kiss her, she felt the sharp edge of an envelope in her pocket nudge her. It was a sign that she should give him the letter. But instead, she chose to keep it in her coat pocket. And when she made that decision, his body vanished. She was alone suddenly in that vast, white sea of snow.  
Then she woke up.

The dream sent chills down her spine.  
Wanting to distract herself, she decided to head out for the day. She was going to take a stroll around Tokyo.

 **-x-x-x-**

He rolled over on the couch, rubbing his tired eyes.  
Yawning, he thought about the dream he just had.  
A young teenager again, he was walking in a field blanketed with snow, walking with a girl. She kept saying how she was cold, so he did his best to keep her warm. He wrapped a protective arm around her when suddenly, an envelope flew by them.  
"You should chase after that," she suggested.  
"I don't need to," he replied, leaning in to kiss her. But as he said that, she disappeared.  
Right then, he woke up.

A little shaken, he decided to head out for a walk.

 **-x-x-x-**

Sora headed to her old elementary school, which she happened to live nearby.  
It was nostalgic visiting it. The cherry blossoms were beginning to bloom, covering the area in a pink flurry. It was a familiar sight to see, making her smile. She walked by a railroad crossing and then remembered.  
' _I made a promise with Taichi_ ,' she thought to herself.

School children walked together towards the railroad crossing. A young boy and girl were walking together, admiring the cherry blossoms. The image of those two reminded her of her elementary days.  
' _W_ _e promised to see the cherry blossoms together again one day, didn't we?_ '

A cherry blossom petal softly fell in front of her. She decided to grab it. Gazing at the pretty petal, she began to feel a flood of memories in her mind. She remembered those late nights she stayed up writing letters to him, and waking up early in the morning upon anticipation that a letter could possibly arrive from him. "We were so childish," she giggled to herself. "I hope you're doing well," she whispered, letting the petal go.

 **-x-x-x-**

Koushiro lived fairly close to Taichi's old elementary school.  
The school where he met Sora.

He came across a familiar sight: a railroad crossing. It looked just like how he remembered it. Cherry blossom petals flew around in a flurry, as children walked home together. A smile crept across his lips, reminding him of his own childhood.  
He remembered how he and Sora would always walk home together.  
The promise they made as children flashed in his mind.  
" _L_ _et's see the cherry blossoms again Yagami-kun,"  
"Okay!"_

He continued to walk across the crossing, passing by a woman.  
His eyes caught beautiful orange hair amongst the pink petals floating in the wind.  
Her orange hair was so unique. He had yet to find anyone else with such a beautiful shade of hair color.  
' _It can't be,_ '  
His heart stopped beating as he reached the other side of the crossing.

' _I just know that if I turn around now, she will too._ '  
He turned his face, catching a glimpse of her back before the crossing rails fell down and a train dashed by.

 **-x-x-x-**

He quickly turned around, desperate to see her face.  
The train quickly passed by, as Taichi stood, waiting.  
He expected to see her face: those eyes he's dreamed of every night, that smile he's missed.  
But she was no longer there.

He stood there, solemn. Somewhere deep inside, he was sure she wouldn't be there, but he foolishly hoped she would wait there anyways.  
A soft gust rustled the cherry blossom petals around him.  
They had made a promise once, as children, to see the cherry blossoms again.  
 _Today that promise was fulfilled._

He considered chasing after her, possibly to catch up, but decided against it.  
Another gust of wind caused an explosion of cherry blossom petals to erupt in his face; a pink flurry.  
The sun shone through the sheer pink petals.

His heart felt so much lighter, no longer being anchored in the past, clinging to memories that were only fabricated by his loneliness.  
She had truly moved on.  
And so will he.

Accepting the fact that she was no longer stuck in the past, he smiled gently. He turned his back and continued on his way, finally at peace with himself.  
He was ready to have a talk with Mimi, now.  
Maybe he would even call Meiko later, and ask her to get coffee or something.


End file.
